DB17

This is the minimal configuration for a Duckiebot. It is the configuration of choice for tight budgets or when operation of a single Duckiebot is more of interest than fleet behaviors.

• Functions: A DB17 Duckiebot can navigate autonomously in a Duckietown, but cannot communicate with other Duckiebots.

• Components: A “bare-bones” DB17 configuration includes:

• Description of components: Unit C-2 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-wjd

• Assembly instructions: Unit C-5 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17, DB17-jwd

DB17-w

This configuration is the same as DB17 with the addition of a 5 Ghz wireless adapter.

• Functions: This configuration has the same functionality of DB17. In addition, it equips the Duckiebot with a secondary, faster, Wi-Fi connection, ideal for image streaming.

• Components:

• Description of components: Unit C-2 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-wjd

• Assembly instructions: Unit C-5 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17, DB17-jwd

DB17-j

This configuration is the same as DB17 with the addition of a 2.4 GHz wireless joypad.

• Functions: This configuration has the same functionality of DB17. In addition, it equips the Duckiebot with manual remote control capabilities. It is particularly useful for getting the Duckiebot our of tight spots or letting younger ones have a drive, in addition to providing handy shortcuts to different functions in development phase.

• Components:

• Description of components: Unit C-2 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-wjd

• Assembly instructions: Unit C-5 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17, DB17-jwd

DB17-d

This configuration is the same as DB17 with the addition of a USB flash hard drive.

• Functions: This configuration has the same functionality of DB17. In addition, it equips the Duckiebot with an external hard drive that is convenient for storing videos (logs) as it provides both extra capacity and faster data transfer rates than the microSD card in the Raspberry Pi. Moreover, it is easy to unplug it from the Duckiebot at the end of the day and bring it over to a computer for downloading and analyzing stored data.

• Components:

• Description of components: Unit C-2 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-wjd

• Assembly instructions: Unit C-5 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17, DB17-jwd

DB17-c

In this configuration, the DB17 omni-directional wheel is replaced with a caster wheel.

• Functions: The caster wheel upgrade provides a smoother ride.

• Components:

• Description of components: Unit E-1 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-lc

• Assembly instructions: Unit E-3 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17-wjdlc

DB17-l

In this configuration the Duckiebot in equipped with the necessary hardware for controlling and placing 5 RGB LEDs on the Duckiebot. Differently from previous configurations that add or replace a single component, DB17-l introduces several hardware components that are all necessary for a proper use of the LEDs.

It may be convenient at times to refer to hybrid configurations including any of the DB17-jwcd in conjunction with a subset of the DB17-l components. In order to disambiguate, let the partial upgrades be defined as:

• DB17-l1: adds a PWM hat to DB17, in addition to a short USB angled power cable and a M-M power wire;
• DB17-l2: adds a bumpers set to DB17, in addition to the mechanical bits to assemble it;
• DB17-l3: adds a LED hat and 5 RGB LEDs to DB17-l1l2, in addition to the F-F wires to connect the LEDs to the LED board.

• Functions: DB17-l is the necessary configuration to enable communication between Duckiebots, hence fleet behaviors (e.g., negotiating the crossing of an intersection). Subset configurations are sometimes used in a standalone way for: (DB17-l1) avoid using a sliced power cable to power the DC motor hat in DB17, and (DB17-l2) for purely aesthetic reasons.

• Components:

• Description of components: Unit E-1 - Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-lc

• Assembly instructions: Unit E-3 - Assembling the Duckiebot DB17-wjdlc

Zurich

• First release (DB17-Zurich-a): is a DB17-wjd.

• Second release (DB17-Zurich-b): is a DB17-wjdcl.

Montreal

• First release (DB17-Montreal-a): is a hybrid DB17-wjd + PWM hat (or DB17-wjdl1).

• Second release (DB17-Montreal-b): is a DB17-wjdl.

TTIC

• First release (DB17-Chicago-a): same as DB17-Montreal-a.

• Second release (DB17-Chicago-b): same as DB17-Montreal-b.

Acquiring the parts for the Duckiebot DB17-wjd

The trip begins with acquiring the parts. Here, we provide a link to all bits and pieces that are needed to build a Duckiebot, along with their price tag. If you are wondering what is the difference between different Duckiebot configurations, read this.

In general, keep in mind that:

• The links might expire, or the prices might vary.
• Shipping times and fees vary, and are not included in the prices shown below.
• Substitutions are OK for the mechanical components, and not OK for all the electronics, unless you are OK in writing some software.
• Buying the parts for more than one Duckiebot makes each one cheaper than buying only one.
• For some components, the links we provide contain more bits than actually needed.

Power Supply

We want a hard-wired power source (5VDC, 2.4A, Micro USB) to supply the Raspberry Pi (Figure 2.3) while not driving. This charger can double down as battery charger as well.

Heat Sinks

The Raspberry Pi will heat up significantly during use. It is warmly recommended to add heat sinks, as in Figure 2.4. Since we will be stacking HATs on top of the Raspberry Pi with 15 mm standoffs, the maximum height of the heat sinks should be well below 15 mm. The chip dimensions are 15x15mm and 10x10mm.

Class 10 MicroSD Card

The MicroSD card (Figure 2.5) is the hard disk of the Raspberry Pi. 16 GB of capacity are sufficient for the system image.

Mirco SD card reader

A microSD card reader (Figure 2.6) is useful to copy the system image to a Duckiebot from a computer to the Raspberry Pi microSD card, when the computer does not have a native SD card slot.

Camera Mount

The camera mount (Figure 2.8) serves to keep the camera looking forward at the right angle to the road (looking slightly down). The front cover is not essential.

The assembled camera (without camera cable), is shown in (Figure 2.9).

300mm Camera Cable

A longer (300 mm) camera cable Figure 2.10 makes assembling the Duckiebot easier, allowing for more freedom in the relative positioning of camera and computational stack.

Stacking Headers

We use a long 20x2 GPIO stacking header (Figure 2.12) to connect the Raspberry Pi with the DC Motor HAT. This item will require soldering to be functional.

Wireless Adapter (5 GHz)

The Edimax AC1200 EW-7822ULC 5 GHz wireless adapter (Figure 2.16) boosts the connectivity of the Duckiebot, especially useful in busy Duckietowns (e.g., classroom). This additional network allows easy streaming of images.

Joypad